Odds And Evens

Looking For A Horse Whisperer

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Me, I know nothing about horses. So I have nothing but admiration for those who do. Right now, Melbourne is in the grip of the Spring Racing Carnival and everyone's an expert. Er, except me, that is.

I took this first shot in the city on Friday evening. It was the day before the Victoria Derby and as you can see by the posters at this newsagency, the focus was pretty much on the big race. To the left of the frame you'll see a poster advertising the Derby Special produced by Australia's largest-selling newspaper, the Herald Sun.

Just for the record, Clare Lindop became the first female jockey to win the Victoria Derby, riding Rebel Raider to victory and upstaging the favourite, Whobegotyou. Rebel Raider was a 100-1 outsider. No, I didn’t have any money on it, more’s the pity.

While I was walking through the city, I had just hit the shutter and was about to take a second shot when the door opened and out came a bloke who was re-stocking the newspapers out the front.

Maybe that's an old racing adage. One door shuts, another door opens.


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Stable Upbringing

Melbourne Cup Fans Shout Themselves Horse

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There is no bigger day in Melbourne than today. You see, the Melbourne Cup is held on the first Tuesday of November and believe me, they aren’t kidding when they say it’s the race that stops a nation. It is a 3200-metre race at Flemington Racecourse, and it is the focus of the whole country.

Whether you are at Flemington or not, whether you are in the corporate marquees or not, whether you are at the Birdcage or not, today is Melbourne’s biggest party.

In 1993, on a wet track, Michael Kinane rode Vintage Crop to victory, a historic moment for the Irish horse because it was the first time in history that the Cup had been won by a European horse.

Yesterday was a slow day, because most people take the day off to convert the Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday segment into a really long weekend, Schools are generally closed on the Monday before Cup Day, and it is the perfect opportunity to study the form guide.

Everyone has an opinion on the prospective winner of the Cup. Me? Er, I wouldn’t know the difference between a thoroughbred and a rocking horse.

So where did I take these photographs? At Flemington, during trackwork? Nope, I shot them on Friday evening, on Flinders Street. The horses in the first frame are just a close-up. Here, below, is the true view of the whole scene.

As you can see, it’s a huge hoarding at Federation Square in central Melbourne. The size of the two passers-by gives you an idea of just how all-encompassing the billboard really is.


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Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Dancer, Do

I'm Half Crazy, All For The Sight Of You

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Here in Melbourne as we enter our third week in the six-month period of daylight saving, the weather is starting to hit the 30-degree mark (and we’re talking Celsius here). The long evenings are bringing out the best in the garden and with our severe water restrictions, I’m glad we planted wisely.

When we built this house, I spent hours happily sketching the garden out of nothing. I planned the sweeping, curved driveway to take in the gentle arc of a pathway leading to a gate that existed only in my imagination.

As the house took shape, so did my sketch-pad garden. Fortuitously, I chose hardy plants that would provide vivid colour but that would require little or no water. The northern perimeter of our property is a fairly long frontage and at the moment it is a riot of colour.

The first photograph shows the mature bushes of soft pink African daisies. The second shows the giant white daisies that are interspersed among the flower-carpet roses, azaleas and a mixture of ground cover.

You’re wondering what the background colour is, aren’t you? You’re curious about the intense scarlet splashes, right?

Here they are, up close. The distinctive colour that is coaxed by the sun into a wide, striking carpet is a simple little plant that we call "pigface". I call them PNF plants. That's not scientific jargon. If you want to know what it signifies, it's simply "plant 'n' forget" - because you smply plant it and then forget all about it.

At this time of the year, with the Spring Racing Carnival in full swing, the pigface is the gardening equivalent of a neon sign.

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Who Wants To Be A Milliner

These Hat Stores Are Brimming With Ideas

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Tell you what. Next year I might take a month off at Spring Racing Carnival and design hats - and sell them, too. As you can see by these hat boxes, everyone who is serious about being seen at the races needs to have a hat. We're talking big money, too , but that's the price you pay if you want instant cred. And once you've got the hat your heart desires, just make sure it's clamped securely to your head, because it's very breezy at this time of year.

A Feather In Your Hat

Yes, Let Success Go To Your Head

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Today is Oaks Day in Melbourne, traditionally referred to in the horse racing calendar as Ladies’ Day. The Oaks was first held in 1861 for three-year-old fillies with set weights (today's horses all carried 55.5kg) over 12 furlongs or 2400 metres. The race is now run over 2500 metres at Flemington Racecourse and is generally accepted as the fashion high point of the Spring Racing Carnival.

The serious fashion devotees wear flamboyant hats, while those in favour of the less-is-more concept opt instead for fascinators. In case you’re wondering, a fascinator is a headpiece, fashioned from feathers, flowers and/or beads.

Here's another view of the wonderful creation (above), giving you an idea of what it looked lilke from directly behind. I asked this woman’s permission to photograph her very striking fascinator and she readily agreed, while confessing that she had bought hers rather than making it herself. Looks like she’s made a head start.